NOVEL NEXT Chapter 120: Defeat (BONUS)
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"Ah!!!"
"I died!"
In the Cardinal World, at the village's central square, one Hobgoblin after another awoke from their immersive experience.
"This was too fast, wasn't it?"
"Damn it!"
"Those Heroic Spirit warriors were too despicable, several of them ganged up on me!"
For a time, the village was noisy and lively.
The reason for this was that the army personally led by Iskandar had clashed with the Goblins.
As for the result…
The Hobgoblins were not weak. Their strength was comparable to the ordinary Heroic Spirits under Iskandar's command.
However, the opposing side had over 20,000 soldiers, four times the Goblins' number.
Coupled with the Heroic Spirits' excellent coordination, the Goblins struggled for only a moment before quickly showing signs of collapse.
While it wasn't a complete rout, it came very close.
"Well, it doesn't matter."
Fortunately, Rin hadn't placed much expectation on the Goblins. "At least they didn't abandon their armor, so our side's dignity was preserved."
Goblins were originally the lowest-tier monsters in the Cardinal World.
Even with Rin's blessing and boosted racial stats, it was still difficult for them to become elite soldiers.
Moreover, Rin's purpose in subjugating the Goblins was simply to make them citizens of the Monster Nation.
His only expectation for them was that they not be cowards.
On that point, Rin was very confident.
Looking at the original novel, it was clear that the Goblins were loyal to Rimuru.
They were not the lewd and despicable Goblins found in other fantasy novels from other worlds. Rather, they were monsters with wisdom and integrity, possessing a strong sense of belonging.
"However…"
Rin looked at the Hobgoblins and Goblinas who were still meditating. "No matter the race, even a weak Goblin can produce excellent warriors."
"Eh?"
"Look, Gobwa is still fighting!"
"As expected of Gobwa!"
Gobwa was a very outstanding Goblina with the potential to evolve even further.
"Huh?"
"What's going on with Gobta?"
"Hey, Gobta, what are you still sitting there for?"
"Wake up quickly and watch Gobwa's battle with us."
To facilitate the Goblins' participation in the war, those who were fighting were gathered in the square.
They sat cross-legged on the ground, controlling their other bodies more effectively through meditation.
"Don't touch him!"
Just as someone was about to push Gobta, a clear, cold voice sounded beside him.
"Ah! It's Snow Empress-sama!"
"Snow Empress-sama, what did you say?"
"Don't move him. He's still fighting the enemy."
Snow Empress told everyone to step back, then looked at the short figure still sitting cross-legged.
As the chief steward responsible for managing the monsters in the village,
Snow Empress, abandoning her aloof and cold demeanor from the Northern Icefield, began to unearth the potential and talents of the monsters.
This battle was originally a training exercise for them.
Since it was a training exercise, some would certainly stand out.
"Let me see which Goblins can still hold their ground against the Heroic Spirit warriors' assault."
As the crowd dispersed, Snow Empress looked around, seeing many individuals she had previously favored.
Snow Empress did not underestimate the Goblins.
Monsters in the Cardinal World had a mechanism called evolution.
Even weak Goblins, if they had enough aptitude, could potentially grow to the level of a Demon Lord in the future.
Snow Empress had few interests.
One of them was helping Rin discover talent.
It was just like carving and polishing an ice sculpture, ultimately revealing its brilliant light.
This was a pastime Snow Empress had found with great difficulty.
"Uh…"
However, upon seeing Gobta, even the usually aloof Snow Empress couldn't help but freeze.
"This one…"
Snow Empress scrutinized Gobta. "Are you sure he's a Hobgoblin?"
There was a significant difference between Hobgoblins and Goblins.
The latter were completely deformed little monsters.
Hobgoblins, however, differed very little from humans.
Among them, the females were almost identical to humans, except for their greenish skin.
But the one before her…
How should she evaluate him?
Snow Empress could only say that he truly looked like a Goblin, with a foolish expression on his face.
'This…'
Snow Empress felt that the threshold for her talent cultivation might need to be raised slightly.
She did not want such a "unique talent" to one day appear among her creations.
"Alright, everyone, don't disturb the Goblins who are still on the battlefield. Let them continue fighting."
"Yes!"
"Okay, Snow Empress-sama."
Upon receiving her command, the Goblins spontaneously protected their undefeated kin behind them.
At the same time, those who had withdrawn from the battlefield all looked up.
They watched the battle, now entering its final stage, projected before them.
Shattered earth, desert crystallized by high temperatures, and countless elite Heroic Spirit warriors cut and bound by spatial threads.
An army of 20,000 had defeated 5,000 Goblins.
But without sparing even a moment to mourn the Goblin dead, nearly a hundred Ogre elites immediately rushed to the battlefield.
At first, Iskandar thought the Ogres were merely B+ rank Servants like the Starfang Wolves.
Only a handful, such as Shion, reached or even surpassed A rank.
However, reality was far crueler than the King of Conquerors had imagined.
A hundred Ogres, each equivalent to an A-rank Servant.
Among them were even powerful beings comparable to Shion and Souei.
For example, Souren, his strength was on par with Souei's.
It was only due to Rin's appointment that he acted discreetly as a member of the Shadow Squad.
If you singled them out, among the 200 Ogres you could find at least 50 top-tier powerhouses.
And so…
Without a doubt, the 20,000-strong Heroic Spirit army was slaughtered by a mere hundred individuals.
"Monsters…"
Iskandar and Waver were unharmed.
Due to Rin's command, the Ogres deliberately avoided them, allowing them to pass through.
Waver stared blankly at the Ogres.
In that instant, the power displayed by them completely shattered his understanding of Heroic Spirits.
Strong. They were simply too strong.
It was hard to imagine that there were still 100 such terrifying warriors.
And Rin, who commanded such a force, seemed to Waver like an insurmountable chasm blocking the path between the Masters and the Holy Grail.
(To be continued.)
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